‘Do the Write Thing’ encourages youth to stop violence

Autumn Peterson, an eighth-grade student, said she planned to participate in this year’s challenge. Last year she wrote about how many murders there are in Jackson and how frightened it makes the city’s residents. The ‘Do the Write Thing’ Challenge kicked off Wednesday at West Middle School in Denmark.(Photo: TIMOTHY SIMPSON/The Jackson Sun)Buy Photo

More than 400 students from West Middle School gathered Wednesday for the launch of the “Do the Write Thing” Challenge, an initiative of the National Campaign to Stop Violence.

The challenge asks middle school students to write essays about violence, with two students selected from each participating jurisdiction to travel to Washington, D.C., where they speak with the Secretary of Education, the Attorney General and members of Congress.

“It gives students a voice,” said Nancy Hutchison, principal of the school. “They get to write their own story. Every child has a story to tell, and they should be given the opportunity to tell it.”

Payton Bunting, a student from North Parkway Middle School, won in 2014 and spoke to the students at West Middle.

“Winning the Do the Write Thing essay challenge was one of the most amazing experiences of my life,” she said. “… I also got to read my essay at the Library of Congress where my essay is now published, making me a published author.”

After the event, Autumn Peterson, an eighth-grade student, said she planned to participate in this year’s challenge. Last year she wrote about how many murders there are in Jackson and how frightened it makes the city’s residents.

“It was challenging and kind of hard,” she said of writing the essay. “You can’t explain death.”

Peterson said she would write again this year “to make a change.” If people read the writings by students, a difference can be made, she said.

When Jackson City Councilman Ernest Brooks II, founder and chairman of the program, asked students if they had seen violence in West Middle School, nearly every student raised a hand.

Earlier, when Richard Donnell Jr., known as “Richard D.” on 96 KIX, asked if anyone had experienced the loss of a family member to homicide, dozens of students raised a hand.

Donnell told students to respect and show gratitude to their parents, teachers and elders.

“The people here in this room, you all could be the next ones to be able to change the world if you do the right thing,” he said.

Brooks said the program has already made a difference. Participating schools see lower levels of violence, and students are more sensitive and aware of bullying, he said.

Brooks said Jackson is the smallest city to participate among about 40 cities nationwide.

“We want you to write about those experiences,” Brooks told the students. “We want you to write about the causes of youth violence, how youth violence affects your life and, most importantly, we want to know what some of your solutions are to youth violence.”